


You're not h(er)

by curiousscientistkae (orphan_account)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Bumblebee - Freeform, Bumbleby - Freeform, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-06-07 07:24:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6793315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/curiousscientistkae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone has left her. Yang has been abandoned and the worse sting of all is from Blake, leaving her when she needed her the most. When Raven comes at her darkest hour, Yang listens to her mother. Now she heading down a dark path. Once Blake gets wind of this, she refuses to allow Yang to fall and become like her former partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fall

**Author's Note:**

> so this is based off my headcanon/theory that Yang is going to fall during season 4. you can read more about it on my tumblr (same name as my pen name) if you just go under the tag 'corrupt yang'. This will be a chapter fic so ill be going back and forth with this and my other chapter fic. Please leave a review if you like or if you have any tips to help my writing. Also, thank you to my friend inqusitor-sane for helping me out with the middle part of the chapter and proofing it (check out his tumblr)

The world outside is still. There is barely any wind to move the branches on the trees or blow away the snow on the ground. The sun is the only thing truly moving. It’s slowly is dipping down behind the horizon, getting ready for bed. Sometimes, however, there is a movement coming from the forest, like a deer or bird but they all leave after sometime. Just like everyone in her life, they stay for some time before disappearing and abandoning Yang.

The blonde haired girl stares out the window, her lilac colored eyes focusing on nothing. So many people have left during her young life. Her birth mother shortly after she was born, Summer dying when Yang was only five and her father shutting down shortly after for a long time, and a number of her ‘friends’ growing up left her after some time as well. Yang thought that when she went to Beacon that it would change. After so many years her father came back and Beacon was a fresh start. She would have a team and new friends. But that was too much to wish for.

Her school and Vale have fallen, Pyrrha and Penny are dead. Ruby and JN_R have left for Haven, Weiss has been forced back to Atlas, and her Uncle is MIA and no one knows where he has gone too. Yang’s father Taiyang has been wrapped up in trying to contact his youngest daughter and teammate for the past week with no luck. But that is not what hurts her the most.

Yang grips her sheets in her remaining hand as she remembers that day. She remembers looking desperately for partner, wanting to make sure she was unharmed in the war zone Beacon had become. She found her, lying on the ground with sword sticking out of her body. Yang remembers seeing red as the sword was pulled out of her partner by its White Fang owner and then she remembers lunging at him, arm outstretched to hit him for harming his own kind. After that, it’s black. The next thing Yang remembers is waking up at the hospital, wires coming out of her. When she woke, Yang recalls screaming out for the faunus, waiting to know if she was okay, only to find out she left. Ran. Even as the doctors sedated her since she could not calm down, Yang cried out for her. She called out for Blake.

Yang cringes at the thought of her partner’s name. That name holds so much weight to it. Anger and hate fills her just thinking about her name. After everything they have been through, all the blood and sweat they’ve shed during missions together, after telling Blake about her past and her birth mother, something she has never told anyone before and that Ruby doesn’t even know about, and after almost dying and losing her right arm in order to protect her, Blake ran. It feels like someone has shoved a jagged, rusty knife into Yang’s heart and has roughly yanked it out. The hole it has made is still there, still bleeding. Even after two months since that fateful day it has not healed at all. The hole has grown.

_Screw you, Belladonna._ Yang thinks to herself. Hot tears stream down her face as her body begins to shake. She wants to break something, she wants to punch something. She wants to release the pent up rage on something, or someone. But she can’t. She can only wallow in her misery. _You are dead to me. You’re fuckin’ dead to me._

Part of Yang regrets thinking that. For a while now, Yang does not know how long, she has been head over heels for the raven haired girl. She never had the guts to tell Blake, though. Yang feared that if she told her partner that she was in love with her, Blake would reject her and leave her like everyone else. Doesn’t really seem to matter now, does it? She still left. Clearly she does not care for Yang at all. As much as she still does want to care for Blake she can’t. The warm light that Blake once brought to Yang now is a cold darkness.

_If you ever come back or I find you, I swear to god I am going to make you pay._

Wiping away her tears from her face, Yang lies down on her bed, brings her covers up to her neck, and buries half of her face in her pillow. The sun now has completely disappeared behind the trees and hills. Stars are slowly coming out from their rest and lighting up the now dark world. There is no real point to staying up. Even though her dreams have been plagued by nightmares and flashbacks to the fall of Beacon she sometimes lucks out and has a dreamless sleep. If she is really lucky she’ll have a pleasant one. Any of the three, however, are better than being in this grim reality. Closing her eyes, Yang lets a restless slumber take a hold of her.

\---

_Beacon is standing tall, as if nothing has happened. There are no Grimm, no fallen and broken areas, no military robots, and no bodies on the ground. Actually, there is no one really here. Everything is dead quiet as Yang walks around. She cannot find anyone. She cannot locate any of her classmates or friends. There are not even any animals scurrying or flying around. Yang seems like she is the only one around._

_After sometime a figure catches Yang’s eyes. Turning her head around to get a better look she finds a lone character standing by the large statue in the middle of Beacon’s courtyard. Yang instantly recognizes the figure. Draped in red and black and having a large, white and red Grimm mask over her face, it is her mother waiting for her. Yang wonders why her mother is here. It has been a long time since Raven last visited her. Why has she showed up now?_

_Yang begins walking towards the mysterious woman. As she draws closer, something feels off. Something off about Raven sends shivers down her spine. Out of everything that is going on at the moment, from no one being around to the glowing fluorescent red trees, of all things that should worry Yang, it’s her mother. Last time she visited her, Yang was confused but not alarmed. Now she is both._

_When Yang stops yards away from she is still not at ease. Everything about Raven seems the same. Yet the vibe coming off of her is different. It’s far too familiar but Yang cannot remember why. She asks_ “What are you doing here?”

_Raven slowly reaches for her mask. As she takes it off, Yang’s heart skips a beat. She grits her teeth so tight her jaw hurts and if she clenches her fist any tighter her nails will draw blood. There is a reason why she has gotten an ‘off’ feeling about Raven. It’s because the woman staying in front of her is not Raven at all._

_As the mask comes off a pair of cat ears appear, twitching with freedom from being hidden for so long. Long, wavy, ebony hair falls from being tucked away and end at her mid back. The face behind the mask has sharp features and bright, golden eyes. Blake. She says nothing as Yang stares her down._

_“You…”_ _Yang hisses through her teeth._ “What do you want?”

_Blake does not answer. She does not even move. Now Yang can feel the tips of her finger become wet with her blood as she clutches them tighter. Rage is boiling inside of her. She feels like Blake is taunting her._

“Are you not going to answer me? You finally fuckin’ show up and you don’t even bother uttering a word? What do you want Belladonna? Or are you just going to stand there?”

 

_Once again, Blake does not answer or move. Yang has had enough. Anger from Blake not saying anything blinds her. She throws herself forward, wanting to punch that smirk Blake has on her face off. Just as her fist is about to connect with Blake’s head, however, the faunus disappears into a thick, dark cloud of smoke. Yang falls through it and crashes into the statue. She groans in pain from the hard blow._

_Yang is about to get up when she feels something. Her right arm tingles. She lifts her arm up and over her face to inspect it. A thick substance, most likely from when she went through the shadows, is on her forearm. When Yang looks closer at the substance she sees why her arm tingles. It is being eaten away._

_The second her brain registers this Yang screams out in pain. The tingling as turned into an immense feeling of burning. Yang feels like her arm is on fire. She can feel every inch of her arm being dissolved by the substance into shadows. Her surroundings have suddenly changed. She is now writhing in pain in the middle of the lunch room. Smoke and gunpowder fills her nose as she shrikes on the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face._

_When she goes to remove whatever is on her arm with her left arm, Blake suddenly reappears, still cladded in Raven’s clothes. With one foot she slams down on Yang’s left arm, preventing the removal of the substance, and with the other, she steps on Yang’s chest to pin her to the ground. Yang cannot move at all._

“Why are you doing this?” _Yang asks through her tears. This time she gets an answer from her partner._

_“Because I never cared for you, Yang.”_

“What?”

_“You heard me. I never cared for you. Why do you think I left? I only was your ‘friend’ because I needed someone to use. Now that you have lost your arm, you are nothing but a burden to me. Useless.”_

_“SHUT UP!” Yang shouts. She cannot tell what hurts more. Her arm being eaten away or what is coming out from Blake’s mouth. With every toxic word the faunus spews, the faster her arm is consumed._

_A crooked grin forms on Blake’s face. She bends down, adding more pressure to Yang’s chest and arm. The blonde finds breathing harder to do. The faunus leans her face next to Yang’s ear, her hot breath causes Yang to tremble in fear. “You mean nothing to me Yang. I know that you love me. I have always known but I never loved you. I’ve left you to suffer and rot away. I never cared for you Yang nor have I ever loved you.”_

_Yang does not want to believe this. She wants Blake to be lying. But she can tell the faunus is not. Yang struggles under Blake’s weight but she is trapped. No matter how hard she tries, Yang cannot move. All she can do is cry. The pain from what is on Yang’s arm, which has nearly completely eaten away at her forearm, has subsided. The pain from Blake’s words hurts more. She feels like her heart is being ripped out._

_“What do you say to that Yang? Do you hate me? Do you loathe me? Do you want to make me suffer for everything that I have done?” Blake looks at Yang, that crooked smile still plastered on her face. “Tell me. How do you feel about me?”_

_Yang narrows her flame red eyes at Blake. “I FUCKIN’ HATE YOU!” Yang shouts as loud as she can. Any feeling she has had for the faunus, any regret she had before when she told herself Blake was dead to her, has washed away. “I HATE YOU WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING!”_

_“Good.” Blake pulls out her katana from her side. Yang’s eyes grow as her former partner hovers the blade over the left side of Yang’s chest, just above her heart. In quick movement, she sends her weapon downward._

\---                                       

Yang wakes up in a cold sweat. Her heart is pounding in her chest and her breathing is ragged. It takes her a moment to remember she is in her bed, safe. Or so she thinks. It takes her another moment to realize that she is not the only living body in the pitch black room.

Someone’s knee digs into Yang’s chest, trapping her on the bed, and their gloved hand covering her mouth. When Yang tries to shout, the hand on her mouth tightens. Her eyes adjust to see the outline of the figure on her. Raven.

Her mother removes her mask with her free hand. Her red eyes glow in the darkness. “Listen to me Yang. I will get off of you if you promise me not to alert your father. If you do, I will make you regret it. Blink if you understand.”

Yang listens. She blinks once, knowing full well that she is in no position to fight with her mother. As the pressure of her mother’s leg leaves Yang’s chest a groan escapes her lips. She can’t help it. Once the pain goes away Yang sits up.

“Why are you here?” Yang asks in a harsh whisper.

“I am here to give you not only a warning but an offer.” Raven answers.

“Warning? Like what? And what do you have to offer. You never cared before.”

“There are people out for you Yang. All of you and your little friends. No offense, everyone but you can handle themselves just fine at the moment.” Raven says. Yang rolls her eyes. “Yang. Listen to me. I’ve come here to say I made a deal with them. You listen to me, you come with me, they will spare your life.”

“What about the others?”

“I cannot say for sure.”

“Then why should I listen to you.”

Raven steps closer to Yang. “Because keeping you safe is not the only offer I can give you.” Raven turns her gaze to the right side of Yang’s body.

Yang clutches what is left of her right arm. It throbs in pain, phantom pain. Off and on for the past two months the pain has come and gone. It hurt a lot when she first lost her arm and slow has gotten better. Tonight, however, it aches. She never as felt this much in pain from it before. Yang gulps. “Really?”

“Sort of. I cannot return your arm like it once was. It’s gone but I can offer you something else to consider an arm. It will not be right away, though after some time I can give you it back to an extent. You have to show me you can handle yourself with one arm first so if you were to lose it again, you can still fight.”

Yang grips the numb of her arm. It is an interesting offer. She still isn’t convinced. Raven can see the hesitation in her daughter’s face. “Tell me Yang, how does the world see you?”

Yang flinches. After blowing out Mercury’s leg when he was only standing by her—Yang still swears it was him attacking her—the world has grown to hate her. They see her as a monster, someone never to be trusted. Her reputation as a huntress has been shot and even if she somehow manages to prove that she was only attacking in self-defense there will still always be people who see her a beast. Yang needs not say anything to her mother. Her face says it all.

“They hate you. I’ve seen the feeds, I’ve seen what they have said before commutations went down in Vale.” Raven presses on. “And what about your friends? While I can see why your sister and that red headed girl from the cereal boxes team for leaving Haven to get answers, they still left you. That Schnee girl was forced back to Atlas so she still left. And what about that partner of yours? Did you have any good reason for leaving you?”

“No…”

“She left you when you needed her the most. I can see the pain, hate, and anger in your eyes. If you come with me I can make you strong again.”

“Why are you asking me this? I thought you told Uncle Qrow you would never help me again.”

“My brother is right but that was when I knew you could take care of yourself. Now you can’t so I am here to help. I can not only return you to your former strength, I can make you twice as strong, maybe even more.” Raven grabs Yang’s chin so she can look her in the eyes. The blonde winces at the touch but does not move her eyes away. “You want revenge on those that have hurt you, don’t you?”

Yes. She does. Revenge tastes sweet right about now. Yang even licks her lips a little at the thought. “H-How do you know I don’t want it on you?”

“I came back, didn’t I? I am the one offering you help when no one else has. I can keep you safe Yang, I can give you back what you lost, and I can make it so you can get your payback at everyone that has hurt you. What do you say?”

Yang does not answer right away. Everything her mother says is appealing. She has been wasting away in this bed for the past two month, letting all her negative emotions fester. All her life she has wanted answers and while before she would deny inflicting pain on those that harmed her, she truly always wanted to. Now she can. The thought of letting out all those years of pain and suffering sounds delightful to her, especially towards the most recent culprit of her misery.

“I will give you the night to think about it. In the morning I will be waiting outside by the tree for your answer. I hope you choose well.”

Raven lets go of Yang’s chin and steps back into the shadows. Yang hears wind and feels a cold breeze before it disappears. One of her mother’s portals. Once she is gone, Yang lays back down on her bed. She only needs the night to make sure she does not regret the decision she already has made up in her mind. She does not need to think hard. Yang knows exactly what she is going to say to her mother when the morning comes.

\---

It is snowing lightly has Yang steps out into the cold, and frigid world. She zips up her coat and manages to swing her bag over her shoulder before walking around the house, towards the tree where her mother waits. The snow crunches under Yang’ feet as she walks. There is no hesitation in her steps.

A large, black bird waits in the barren tree. When Yang comes close, the bird swoops down and takes on the form of her mother. “Have you decided?” Raven asks.

Yes. Yang has. “I’ll come.” She tells her mother. Yang is done with being hurt, she is done with being left behind. She doesn’t care anymore what happens, so long as she can get what she wants for once. She wants to become strong again, she wants not to feel broken. Most of all she wants to make others feel how she has felt for much of her life.

“I am glad to hear that.”

“One condition though. When everyone left me after all this shit went down, even though he got wrapped up with Ruby and Uncle Qrow, my father still was the only one there or at least tried to. The least he deserves is a letter, which I need you to help me write. After that I am good to go.”

Yang twists her bag around to her front so she can reach into it and grab a pen and paper. Raven takes them both.

“If that is all, what is it that you want me to tell him?”

Yang inhales a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds as she thinks, before releasing it. “Dear Dad; I’m sorry that when you come into my room to check up on me, this is what you will find. Try as you might, I am just done with all this bullshit. Too many people have backstabbed me, too many people have caused me pain, and too many people have abandoned me when I needed them most. Especially now when I was at my lowest point, I felt so alone and that no one cared. I know that you tried and I am grateful for that, but it doesn’t matter.

“For once in all my eighteen years of life, I want to be the one in control. I want to be the one who decides what happens. So I’m leaving with Raven. Where, I do not know but don’t bother looking for me. Deal with finding Ruby. Goodbye Dad, Yang.”

Raven finishes the note and gives it back to her daughter. The blonde leaves for a moment to place it on her bed. By the time her father wakes up she will be long gone. He is not an early riser like she is. He could sleep through an earthquake if it were to happen. Once she has done that Yang returns to her mother. Raven already has one of her portal ready. Without saying anything else Yang follows her mother into the portal, ready for whatever her new life brings her.

 


	2. Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you too fate-117 on tumblr for proof reading and editing this with me (even though i was being shy and nervous) and to inqusitor-sane for one of the ideas in this chapter (i forget what pft)

Tonight must be the coldest night of the year in Vale. Temperatures are in the negatives, well below freezing. Many take shelter in their homes, bundled up under blankets and snugged in the warmth that their houses provide. Doors locked for the night, they are safe from the elements and creatures that lurk in the shadows.

Others are not as lucky. Some have been forced out of their place of shelter by the Grimm and White Fang attacks that recently have occurred and are stuck in their fallen city. Some have been on the streets beforehand. Either way, being stuck out in this weather is not good. Dark creatures of Grimm prowl the area, looking for any late night snacks. White Fang members also walk about. Anyone that stands in their way gets killed. To make matters worse, the risk of frostbite runs high in this cold. People are desperate to stay alive. The faunus member of Team RWBY is among those displaced and fighting to stay warm.

Blake throws another piece of wood into the fireplace. Normally, she would hate taking from someone and breaking into their house but she knows they will not return. Blake could not locate any bodies or signs of life, but the metallic scent of blood still lingers in the living room even after she cleaned it up.

Once all the pieces of wood are set in a pile, Blake grabs the lighter that rest haphazardly on the floor by her feet. The whole room has been turned upside down. A table is broken, the couch has been flipped upside down and torn on one side, tattered blankets and clothes litter the floor as well. A broken window, probably made by whatever Grimm crawled its way into the home, lets in a draft. Blake needs to get this fire going or she will freeze to death.

After a few clicks a small flame lights up at the tip of the tube. Blake places it on the wood and papers in the fireplace. Once a small flame starts going, she works on it. The fire grows and warms her up. Hopefully it will last the night.

Blake sits down on the ground and zips up the jacket she wears. She took the dark article of clothing from this house. It fits her just right and if no one is ever coming back, why let it go to waste? Anything to keep her warm and alive. As much as she wants to die at the moment, she can’t. Not when Adam and the White Fang are on the loose and Yang, and everyone else, are in danger. Blake already let Yang become injured. She cannot allow any more harm to come to her partner.

**You are horrible partner for allowing that to happen.**

Blake slaps the side of her face. _No. It was Adam’s fault. Not mine._ Even before the world went to shit, thoughts like that would enter her mind. Before Beacon, Blake would have them a lot. After meeting Yang, Ruby, Weiss, JNPR, and the others, the nightmares did not come as often. Blake enjoyed being happy and not as hateful towards herself. Now they have come back with a vengeance. 

**Yes. But you were the one who made him mad.**

Blake shakes her head. _No! Come on, Blake. Think of something happy._

She thinks about the first day she met her teammates. Blake snickers at the memory; it is so silly now that they were fighting. She remembers their first night together, the night she fought with Weiss, and about that weekend her team searched for her. The food fight, them trying their best to get her to go to the dance and Yang being the one to break through, having fun at the festival, so many happy memories.

Try as she might, her dark thoughts don’t go away. Blake’s ears fall flat on her head, the left still aching from being partly torn during a battle with a Grimm.

Blake remembers seeing Yang blow out Mercury’s leg. She remembers not believing her, thinking about how that’s how Adam started to fall. Blake regrets not trusting Yang right away. She regrets not being able to do more to stop Adam from cutting Yang’s arm off. Everything slowed down in that moment and the memory is like an open wound, still fresh in her mind. Yang was so pale, so lifeless when Blake carried her to safety; it haunts her.

**Yang is going to hate you. She will never forgive you.**

“Shut up.” Blake says to no one. She doesn’t want to think that Yang will hate her. Blake has fallen in love with the boisterous blonde. She started to feel differently for Yang during the events of the Beacon Ball. She never dared to tell her partner, though. Blake was in a bad relationship with Adam recently. Not that she ever thought Yang would be like him, she was still hurting, still recovering, and relearning to trust and love. Maybe she should have told Yang. Too late now, especially if she does hate her.

**_You let her almost get killed. It’s your fault and she will hate you._ **

Rage blinds her. Blake reaches for a piece of rubble and throws it into the fire. The wood breaks and bright red, orange, and yellow flames burst out before calming down. The fire in Blake, however, still burns inside her. She blames herself for Yang’s injuries and pissing off Adam. If she never enraged him and had him come looking for her, Yang would be safe. But she also puts blame on Adam since he, after all, was the one who caused all this. Blake fears Adam and his power and wants to stay as far away as possible but she also wants to be the one to take him down.

_Screw this, I’m going to bed_. Blake thinks. She stands and grabs a blanket from the ground. The bottom area has three claw marks torn into it. While it’s not ‘heavy’, it is soft and Blake needs some form of comfort right now. Walking back to her spot by the fire, Blake lies down on the hardwood floor with the blanket over her.

Over the past two months, not only have her dark thoughts come back in full force, her nightmares have as well. She has not had a good night sleep since the Fall of Beacon, tossing and turning and waking up in a cold sweat. Some nights, Blake refuses to sleep but that only allows her thoughts to take over. She cannot win. Tonight, she chooses to let her dreams take over, hoping that maybe she will catch a break for once.

—

_At first, her dreams bring her peace. She is back in Beacon. It stands tall and proud, as if nothing has happened to it. Blake is happily snuggled up against Yang. The warmth that comes from the blonde is comforting. For the first time in a long time, Blake feels safe. There is no need to be afraid, no need to fret, she can just be at peace._

_Blake reads one of her favorite books as Yang twirls some of her silky black hair in her fingers. With her other hand, Yang rubs one of her partner’s cat ears. A soft purr escapes from Blake’s lips. These are her favorite types of nights. Just her and Yang spending quality time together._

_Yang stops what she is doing. She suddenly pushes Blake down on her back. The first thought that comes across Blake is that Yang wants to goof off. Blake is quite ticklish and Yang loves to tickle the faunus until she is crying from laughing. It sometimes annoys Blake that Yang knows her weakness to touch but it never fails to bring a smile to her face._

_However, instead of the soft brush of fingers on her skin, Blake feels a sharp, painful pressure on her chest. Yang’s knee digs into Blake’s rib cage. Blake gasps for breath as Yang’s weight crushes her. Blake looks up and opens her mouth to speak but stops. She thought she would find soft pools of lilac eyes looking down at her, but they’re not. Yang’s eyes are a burning red, filled with hate and rage. Blake gulps._

“Y-Yang?”

_“You bastard. Why did you leave me?”_

“I didn’t want to! I had to, Yang. I had to keep you safe. Please believe me.”

“Why the fuck should I? After what you did to me?”

“What do you me—” _Blake stops short when she notices Yang’s right side. Her amber eyes widen and fill with horror when she sees Yang’s forearm missing. Blood is falls from the open wound. Yang hovers her arm over Blake’s face. The faunus shutters at the feeling of the warm and thick liquid dripping onto her cheek. It burns._

_“You fuckin’ did this to me! You left me for dead! Did you even bother to make sure I wasn’t about to kick the can before you booked it?”_

“I did! I did, Yang!” _Blake cries. Tears run down the side of her face and mix with Yang’s blood._ “I helped bandage your arm up! I made sure you were cared for first before I was! I waited until you were safe and well taken care of before I left!”

_“LIAR!” Yang hisses. She pushes down harder on Blake’s chest as she leans closer. Blake makes a choking noise. “You caused this! It’s all your fault!”_

“NO! It…It was Adam and the White Fang!”

_“Yes, but they were after you. You left them and made many enemies by doing so. Had you not left, I never would have gotten hurt and Adam would not have wanted to destroy everything you love.”_

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Yang. I never wanted any harm to come to you. _Please._ I’m _so sorry_. I…I love you.”

_“I hate you, Blake. I don’t care if you love me or not. I hate you and wish you were dead.”_

_Blake’s tears now stream out of her eyes. She never wanted any of this. All she wanted was to be happy with Yang, care for her, and be with her forever. Never did she want to bring any harm to Yang. She never wanted to be the source of her misery._

_Yang says nothing more. She disappears into a cloud of dark smoke, her red eyes lingering for moments after. The cloud Yang turned into fills the room. All the warmth and light that was there becomes fridget and black. Blake curls up on herself, shaking from cold and the overwhelming sadness filling her. She wraps her arms around her body as she sobs._ “I’m sorry, Yang. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

—

Blake slowly opens her eyes. Her breath crystallizes in front of her. The fire that she made has become a pile of ash and wood chips. The open window has allowed for a small pile of snow to enter the room. A small storm must have passed while she was sleeping.

Sitting up, she wraps the blanket tighter around her body. Her fingers are a bright red, both pair of ears, and the tip of her nose feel like they are on fire. Blake touches the sides of her face. She cried in her sleep and now her tears have almost completely frozen over. The sun is rising above the horizon, bringing some warmth. If Blake does not act fast, if she does not seek that out, hypothermia will kick in and she will surely die.

But she doesn’t move. She sits on the cold ground, looking at the dead fire. Maybe she is wrong. Maybe if she is dead Adam will leave Yang and everyone else alone. How can he make her suffer if she is dead? If she perishes then she will never be able to bring Yang, or anyone else she cares for, harm again. They will never have to suffer again because of her. Even if they miss her after she dies, they all still will find ways to move on, wouldn’t they?

Natural instincts shout at her to live. _Fucking get up, Belladonna. Fight another day._

“Why should I?” Blake asks herself. She buries her face in her legs. “Everyone is better off without me.”

Once those words leave her mouth, another thought enters her mind.

_You can’t protect Yang if you’re dead._

That’s right. Adam wants to destroy everything she loves. Who’s to say that if she dies, that he will stop? He is on a warpath at the moment and knowing her former partner, he will cut down anyone or anything that stands in his way. If he is not stopped, no one is safe.

Blake forces herself to her feet. It feels like someone is pushing needles into her toes. Every step she takes is painful but she has to get her blood flowing. If not, she’ll risk losing her appendages. She gathers her things, just a small bag with a bit of money and scraps of food she was able to collect, swings it over her shoulder, and heads out.

The temperature has gone up but it is still freezing. Blake knows that there are ‘safe’ zone in Vale. Places where those stranded still or those who want to try to help can live. They aren’t one-hundred percent safe but it is guarded and better than nothing. Blake has does some trading with people in there but she never stays long. Now the faunus is hoping that she can get something or be somewhere warm.

Blake quickly walks towards the closest ‘safe’ zone. She keeps her scarf over her mouth and nose and places her hands under her armpits. Anything to stay warm. The next zone is about a mile away. Blake is grateful that the sun is still floating up higher in the light blue sky. It can only get warmer now.

“—you hear about that girl going after people?” A voice asks, stopping Blake in her tracks. Her ears perk up. Blake notices some men talking in an alleyway. Without being spotted, Blake hides behind a wall and listens in. Any information can be good information.

“Yeah, I did. A buddy of mine told me.” Another, older and gruffy voice replies.

“I only heard a little bit. All I know is some pissed of blonde chick is mostly going after White Fang members but if someone gets in her way she will take them down.”

“I heard from my friend she seems to be taking orders from someone else. Even with one arm the girl apparently can do some damage.”

_No. It can’t be._ Blake thinks. She continues to listen in.

“What do you mean by ‘she seems to be taking orders from someone else’?’”

“My buddy told me that he saw her with a darker haired woman who looked a lot like her. He said they both shared the red, Grimm like eyes.”

_Shit, fuck. Please it can’t be her._ Blake holds her stomach. She feels sick. Blake does not want to believe that Yang could be out there, causing harm to others and being full of rage. Her partner is not like that. Yang is kind, caring, and would never attack anyone out of malice or for no reason. She is not someone who would hurt someone out of sheer anger. She isn’t a monster. She isn’t Adam.

“Damn. I sure as hell don’t want to get in her way. I think we should get going. I’m freezing.”

Once they leave, Blake starts moving again. She walks as fast as she can. When she gets to the safe zone, not only can she hopefully find some warmth and food, but maybe answers. They were only two people after all. They could have been talking about any one armed blonde who has red eyes, right?

Eventually, Blake reaches the area. After talking to one of the guards and them making sure she isn’t going to do anything, Blake is allowed in. Before going any farther, Blake asks the guard if they know where she can find some food, warmth, and to talk to other about current events. The guard tells her about a small spot where she can find all three. Blake thanks them and heads off.

The area has a few people scattered about. Some are talking, some are by themselves, and others are cleaning up some rubble. Blake finds a group of people talking by a trashcan fire. All three have bags. Maybe she can do some trading.

“Mind if I join?” Blake asks as she walks up.

“Not at all, little lady.” An older, scarred up man says. “What brings you here?”

Blake does not answer right away. She first places her hands as close as she can without burning herself. She sighs in relief as feeling returns to her fingers and even her face. “For this and for trade.”

“What you want and what you got?”

“I have some money and some food, which I need more of.”

“We got food, free of charge. It looks like you need some.” An older woman says.

“Thank you, but I still feel the need to give you something since there is something else I was wondering you might know about. Have you guys here about some girl, maybe my age, attacking others.”

“Why do you ask?” The third member of the party asks.

“Reasons. When I was walking, I overheard some people talking and I was wondering if anyone else had heard about her. I need to know.”

“Is she some blonde with one arm?” The older man says.

“And red eyes?” The man nods. “Yes, then. That’s her.”

“Then I saw her. Once, for a moment. I was taking a walk outside the Kingdom when I saw her. She was by herself and, from the looks of it, was raiding some guy’s camp. Man was knocked out cold, probably by her. After she spotted me, a sudden, dark portal formed and she disappeared into it but not before giving me a dirty look.”

“Crap…Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome. You hungry?”

Blake nods. As she starts eating on a piece of bread that she was given she wonders if what she has heard really is Yang. The description sure matches, at least the looks. Blake cannot fathom that Yang would be doing something like this. It is not in her nature. If this really is Yang, something must have happened. Whatever it is, Blake is determined to find her partner. Even if she has some doing to do with Yang’s apparent downfall, she will not allow history to repeat itself. Blake already has seen one partner turn and fall so far that he can no longer be saved. If this is true, she will stop at nothing to bring Yang back to her senses.


	3. Unrecognizable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to ‘My Charred Rose’ on fanfic who proofed, help edited and helped with descriptions this chapter. Enjoy~

Yang stares herself down in the mirror. The glass is broken. Thin and jagged lines come from a medium size center point towards the lower left side. It is hard to make out her reflection, but she can somewhat, even if she can’t fully recognize herself. In the about week and half she has been with Raven she has noticed some changes.

The first thing that she noticed was her eyes. Normally they are a soft shade of lilac and are welcoming. Now they are a harsh, burning red. Yang has no idea when they switched. When she first saw herself like that, about two days after leaving home, she wondered why they would not go back. She has grown not to care now. People have painted her to be a monster, why not look the part?

Another change that she has picked up on is that she is much more prone to outburst of anger. Yang has always had a fiery temper, but she always knew how to control it, for the most part. Now almost everything sets her off. Yang remembers the first time her rage completely controlled her. She was with her mother, who was talking to someone she seemed to know. Yang wasn’t paying much attention; until the person her mother was talking with saw her and made a comment about what happened during her fight with Mercury. Yang cannot recall exactly what it is they said but she remembers them saying ‘You here to break my leg?’

That’s what she did. Yang threw her arm out and fired a bullet into their leg, breaking it. At first, Yang was taken aback by her action but it was quickly replaced with the feeling of satisfaction. Satisfaction for finally being able have payback at someone who taunted her. Even with a small pang of guilt inside of her… on the other hand, her veins filled with venomous pride, her actions flooded her with a behemoth of gluttonous relaxation. Like a sadistic rage had been quilled. Yang still has no real regret for what she’s done. But while some things have changed there are still others that are the same.

Yang looks to her right side. Raven has yet to fulfil her promise of giving Yang a new arm. Soon, she keeps saying. Raven says Yang needs to prove herself; that she needs to prove she is strong enough by herself with one arm before she gets a second. So far nothing has worked. One idea has come across her mind that might just do it.

A pair of scissors - that Yang found in the abandoned house they decided to occupy - are in her hand. She nervously flips it around. Some of the strength Yang prides herself on, and misses so dearly comes from her hair. It is one of the reasons she has outbursts when others touch it. Yang hates feeling weak. Now she feels nothing but a crippling deprivation of strength.

Theoretically, if she cuts her hair, she should be able to gain more strength from it, when it grows back she should have even more strength, right? It’s the only thing she can think of at the moment.

Besides her own nerves running wild at the thought of cutting her beloved golden mane; she does not know how she will do it. She does not want to botch it and having one hand only makes matters worse. It doesn’t help either that her left hand is not her dominant one.

Yang gently takes some strings of hair in her hand and rests them on her shoulder. Shakily, she reaches her hand up and hovers the mouth of the scissor over her hair. Her hand starts shaking even more. Taking a deep breath, Yang slowly starts to bring the two sides of the scissor when a voice stops her.

“What are you doing?”

Yang turns around. Raven has entered the room. Yang sets the scissors down.

“Trying to cut my hair, that’s what.” Yang replies.

“May I ask why?”

“You said that you wanted me to become stronger, right? That you wouldn’t give me a new arm until I prove myself capable of defending myself with one arm. So a way to make myself stronger is to…cut my hair. But I am having trouble.”

Raven sighs and walks over towards her daughter. She takes the scissor from Yang and grabs some of her blonde hair. “How much?”

“Not super short. Like, maybe around my shoulder blades, maybe in the middle of them. Just…not _short._ ”

“That’s a lot of hair. You sure you want to do this?”

“I know. I do want to. Please just get it over with.”

Raven only nods and starts chopping away. Yang filches every time she hears the  _snip snip_  of the scissors. Yang’s mind began to wonder, should she tell her mother to stop? She can feel her power slipping away with every cut, but she can’t stop now. At the moment, this is all Yang can think of to help her not feel so pathetic and useless.

When Raven stops, Yang looks back at herself in the mirror. She starts playing with her shorter hair. Already she misses her longer locks and being able to twirl it around her fingers more. In time her hair will grow back in all its glory. Now it’s just a matter of seeing if her plan will work and that she didn’t just slice off her hair for no reason.

“Anything else you want?” Raven asks.

“No. Is there anything you want? You are the one who came in.”

“What? I cannot check up on my daughter?”

“Well you haven’t really in the past eighteen years. I am not really used to you doing something like that.”

“Yang…”

“I am going for a walk.”

Without saying anything else, Yang leaves. Raven has allowed Yang to do whatever she pleases on the condition she returns by nightfall. A fair enough agreement. At least her mother is not trying to control her. Yang is thankful that she can have peace whenever it appeals to her.

As she walks down a beaten up alleyway, Yang kicks a can. Not only has she felt like she hasn’t gotten stronger during her time with Raven, Yang has heard little to nothing about. Sure with communications still down, information is hard to come by, but there is still word of mouth. Most of what is said is stuff Yang knows already. Rumors about the White Fang and their brutal attacks on the people of Remnant, and the sudden Grimm infestation running amok, along with how shitty the world has become and that’s not the end of it. Nothing that she hears gives her anything to do with wants to hear about.

There has been no word on whoever that faunus was that decapitated her arm is. She has no name to ask anyone if they have seen him. All she knows about him is he is powerful, menacing, and some type of bull or goat faunus, and that… she more than likely knows him.

Yang punches a nearby wall at the thought of Blake. The stone breaks, small bit of pieces coming off. “Bitch.” Yang says through her teeth. Every time she even thinks of her ex-partner’s name or someone states it, rage boils inside of her. It has only gotten worse since the night Raven came for her. As days pass any positive feelings she once had for her have been tossed and replaced by negative ones. Yang swears if she ever sees Blake again, she will make her feel the same pain she felt when she was wasting away like ash in the wind in her bed for months

Something catches Yang’s attention. Down the alleyway is a group of people, their voices bounce back and forth against the wall. It is hard to make out the words so Yang slowly draws closer, doing her best not to be spotted. Any information is good information after all.

The closer she gets the clearer the words become, and she notices that these _people_ are nothing but the rats of the city; barely adults who have already wasted away into bitterness, throwing poison on anything that draws their attention. Looking to lay the blame of anything on anyone, however possible, and scowling at the very air that they breath like the toxin of death itself. At first it is just what she has heard before. What is going on in the city and how they themselves are dealing with it. Yang is about to leave when something does keep her attention.

“Hey, did ya hear 'bout some cat girl going around looking and asking around for someone?”

“There’s been a lot of people looking for others.”

“Well apparently she’s looking for that girl who blew out that kid’s leg in the tournament and helped start all this shit. What’s her name again?”

“I think it was 'Yang Xiao Long’”

“I wonder why she would be looking for that damn bastard.”

_Click._

“Tell me everything you know about her.” Yang says, Ember Celica pointed at the back one of group member’s head.

—

Blake sighs. It seems that almost everyone she asks about Yang knows who she is—who wouldn’t after what happened—but no one seems to know where she has gone off too. A few people state that they think they had seen her for a moment, but it was always quick, nothing that Blake can use as a solid lead. The last person she talked too didn’t even have anything she could use.

After thanking them, Blake starts walking again. _Best thing to do is keep moving._ She internally tells herself. If she stops moving, then she will never find Yang. Sooner or later there will be something of use. Blake only hopes that it comes sooner rather than later. If Yang is going down the same path as Adam did, the more time Blake cannot get to her, the farther she will fall. Once things started to snowball with Adam, he fell quickly to the point of no return. Who knows how fast it will take Yang to reach that point? Blake won’t let it happen.

While walking Blake recognizes someone. She has only really seen pictures of him and met him just once for a brief moment. His blond hair has become even more unkempt and his blue eyes are filled with sorrow. Taiyang Xiao Long. Yang and Ruby’s father.

“Mr. Xiao Long!” Blake shouts. She walks up to him.

Tai looks towards her. “Blake? What are…Is this where you have been the whole time?”

“Yes…How angry was Yang when he realized that I left?”

“Very. She sat in bed for two months hating herself, and everyone, and everything around her.”

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to hurt her so much. But that’s why I am here now. I know she ran away and I fear she is doing things that she shouldn’t be doing. I want to try and bring her back to her senses if it really is true.”

Tai nods and digs into his pocket. He pulls out a wrinkled, and slightly torn up piece of paper. Blake takes it and reads over the paper. The hurt, the anger in her letter is clear. Blake knows she is at fault for part of this. The letter only makes Blake want to find Yang even more.

“You don’t happen to have any idea where she is, do you? I’ve been looking for almost two weeks now.”

Blake shakes her head. “I have no idea. All I know is that she is in the city, where abouts is anybody’s guess.”

“Great…”

All of a sudden, a man stumbles by. He is shaky on his feet. The man trips and starts to fall. Tai catches him before he hits the ground. He is covered in cuts and bruises and a hint of gunpowder lingers on his skin and clothes. Tai gets him back on his feet.

“Are you alright?” Tai asks.

“What the…? What happened to you?” Blake adds on.

The man groans. “That bitch, Yang Xiao Long.”

Tai throws the man against a wall, pinning him there, it’s clear to the clearly enraged patterns drawn across his features as his parenting instincts came over him, the man is taken aback, suddenly shaken up, whilst fearful of another beating.

“That is my daughter, you bastard! Don’t you call her that!” He shouts.

“Well she is the one who did this to me!” He shouts back, his voice as fearful as his body as the man’s weary mind succumbs to itself. “She fuckin’ attacked me and my friends and still probably is going bat-shit. I booked it to save my own ass and see if anyone wanted take her on and stop her from attacking my friends, cause she is pissed to high hell and I sure as ain’t gonna mess with her.”

“I’ll deal with her.” Blake says.

“What?” Both the man and Tai say together.

“Tai, please let me go after her. I know you want to see her and bring her back as much as I do, but I know that I am at least partly to blame for what has happened. I want to try and fix what I’ve done. Please. You can deal with this guy while I go after Yang and if I can’t win, I will come back and we can figure out what to do from there.”

Tai thinks for a moment and nods. He wants to find Yang, but remains firm in his unspoken questioning of who she’ll listen to. He also really wants to sock this guy at the moment.

“Which way?” Blake asks the man. He points in the direction where he came from, with that, Blake heads off to try and convince her comrade.

She fast walks as quickly as possible whilst loading up Gambol Shroud. She really does not want to use it against Yang, but if it comes to that she will. Hopefully Yang will be willing to talk with her words instead of her fist.

It does not take long for Blake to find her partner. Blake hears sounds of a shotgun going off and some grunts and moans. She races towards the noises. When Blake turns the corner she stops in her tracks.

There are two people lying on the ground, unconscious but alive. A third person is in the air, lifted up by Yang with one hand. Blake’s breath gets caught in her throat when she sees her. Sheer anger comes from Yang. Her eyes, burning a bright red and her shortened hair has started to glow like a yellow magma. The man in her hand is not moving, only his chest gives any signs at all that he is alive.

Blake slaps her hands over her mouth, trying to prevent a surprised gasp that still escapes her lips. This catches Yang’s attention. She drops the man to the ground—he groans when he hits the pavement—and looks at Blake. An unfriendly grin comes across her face. “Hello, sweetheart.”

Blake does not respond. She is frozen in fear. Already Yang has slipped far into the same darkness that overtook Adam. For a moment all Blake sees is Adam standing in front of her, not Yang. It is not until Yang speaks again does Blake snap out of her trance.

“Not going to say anything? Are you just going to stand there or run away like you always do?”

“Yang…” Blake slowly moves her hands away from her face. “Why are you doing this? It’s not like you. It isn’t you!”

“Why shouldn’t I? Why would you even care what I am doing, seeing as you left me. Did you ever care about me? Or did you only care about yourself?”

“Yang, you know I care for you.”

“THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE!” Yang’s voice raises. Bright orange licks of fire shoot off her body, forcing Blake back.

“I-I had no choice Yang! Adam, that faunus who cut off your arm, swore that he would destroy everything I love. I couldn’t let him do that. Not to Ruby, Weiss or you!

"So his name is Adam, huh?” Yang chuckles a little. “Looks like he already did that.”

“What do you—”

Blake is cut off when Yang starts moving towards her. Instincts take over. When Blake sees Yang coming for her, she reaches over her shoulder for her weapon. But she is too slow, too fixated on Yang’s sudden change to react fast enough. She gets pinned to the wall by Yang, her former partner’s arm resting on her neck. Blake coughs.

“You have any idea what it was like to just _sit_ in my bed day in and day out being hated by everyone for something I didn’t do? For something I _swear_ on my life I did not cause? Do you have any idea what it is like not to be able to care for yourself because some asshat cut off your arm?!”

Yang’s voice shakes as she speaks. Blake can see she is trying to hold back some tears she’s held in for so long.

“Do you have any damn idea what it is like to feel so weak, so useless and broken, and feeling that no one wants you, that no one care about you at all? Because that’s how I felt for those two months I was just in that bedroom, sulking and spending my days looking out the window. I just…Bla…Bla…” Yang struggles to even say her name.

For a moment Blake sees Yang’s eyes change back to their normal color. She is silently crying. Blake can also feel the pressure on her neck loosening.

“Yang?” Blake says.

A blink returns the red in Yang’s eyes. The pressure on Blake’s neck returns also, along with the granted wiggle room. “You had to leave! Do you know how much I needed you? How much I was worried you were injured or killed? But, no. You just up and left! Even after I told you how many people have left me and how much it _hurts_ , you _left!_ ”

“I didn’t mean to do that to do. I just wanted to keep you safe! I’m sorry! I—”

Yang lets go of Blake. Before she can react, Yang’s fist lands centimeters away from her head. Gravel from the stone cuts her cheek like razors and embers singes the tips of her hair. Blake becomes like a statue, unable to move. Her amber eyes stay locked on Yang’s red ones, pleading with the fire burning even brighter than before.

 _“I don’t want you damn apology you heartless bastard!”_ Yang growls.

“Then…Then what do you want?” Blake says, trying to stay composed. Her heart is beating like mad in her chest, she can faintly feel it in her throat.

“What do I want? I want to get back at those who have ever hurt me. I am no longer going to sit by idly as people abandon me and leave me to rot. I am going to give them what they deserved. That includes you.”

“I won’t let you do that, Yang. You can take your rage out on me if you want but I refuse for you to hurt anyone else.” Blake takes a deep breath, already knowing what her next move shall be.

“What? Are you going to fight me?”

Blake doesn’t answer. Instead she reaches for her weapon. Yang goes to snatch Blake’s hand away but the second she grabs ahold; Blake disappears into shadows. A shadow clone. _Shit!_ Yang thinks.

“I’m giving you one chance to come quietly. I don’t want to hurt you Yang.” Blake says. She has her katana pointed at Yang’s back. “You are going down a dark path and I will do anything to prevent you from going down any farther.” _I won’t let it happen again. Not with you_.

Yang laughs a little. She turns on her heels and throws fiery punch at Blake. The faunus blocks the blow and skids back a few inches. Blake pushes her sword and Yang’s arm to the side. Now wide open, Blake kicks Yang in the stomach. Without her other arm, Yang has little means of steadying herself and falls on the ground. Blake knows she has to knock out Yang quickly or risk feeding fuel to her semblance.

Yang groans. She starts getting up before Blake shoves her down again. “Yang please listen to me. I don’t want to do this to you. Please just calm down and come back to us!.”

“No. I’m not going back! I’m never going back!”

“Why not?!”

 _“Because I want to make decisions for once in my life!”_ Yang shouts. She throws a large bullet at Blake. It hits her hard in the chest. Blake stumbles back a few feet, giving Yang some time to get up. Both girls stare each other down.

Blake can see Yang is starting to pant. Her previous fight with the group of people must have taken some sort of toll on her.

“I’m not going back. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

“I can still try!”

Yang charges once more. This time her punch is stronger. Blake nearly loses her balance but digs her heels in as she blocks the attack again. Out of habit, Yang twists the right side of her body towards Blake, wanting to punch her. She doesn’t even come close to hitting Blake.

Seizing the chance, Blake hits Yang open right side and knocks her to the ground again. Yang curses as she gets to her knees. She is exhausted from her fight with the other group of people and has been out of commission. Yang knows she stands little chance of fighting Blake.

When Blake comes close, Yang redirects her first towards the ground. With all her might she hits the earth. Dust, gravel, small flames, and gun powder explode upwards, blinding Blake. She shields her face from the blast. When the dust dies down, Blake places her hands back down at her sides.

Yang is gone. A small crater is left in her place, she has run off to who knows where. The city, especially the edge, is a giant maze. Looking for Yang might get her lost and Blake promised to return to Taiyang. However, she doesn’t leave just yet.

“What the hell happened to you, Yang?” Blake says, tears starting to fall from her face. “You’re not the same girl I love.”

—

Raven waits for Yang to come back. She watched her meeting - if she wants to even call it that - with Blake. Perched up high on a building in her bird form, Raven looked on as Yang yelled at Blake and tried to fight her, only to watch her daughter get completely annihilated. She knows Yang will be storming in at any moment. And she knows exactly what she wants. Might as well give it to her. After seeing Yang fail, Raven does not want Yang to actually get hurt; well, not too badly anyway.

The door swings open and slams against the wall. Yang marches into the living room of the house, Yang walks up to her unfazed mother, fuming at her unsuccessful revenge on the one who abandoned her.

“How was your walk?” Raven asks.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what happened, you always seem to know what is going on. I am tired of feeling weak and getting beaten like this. I can’t keep fighting with half of my strength. I want to be able to fight again.”

“You do know it will hurt like a bitch.”

“ _I. Don’t. Care._ You said you could get me a new arm, you said you knew people. You better not be lying to me Raven, or so help me.”

“I do. If that is what you really want, you have proven you can take care of yourself for the most part.”

“If it means it can get payback, then yes. This is what I want.”


	4. Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one took so long, bad case of writer's block and life happened. Anyway, thank you to my charred rose on fanfic (and tumblr) for again being my proofer and editing and adding some shit for me.

Blake trudges her way back to where she last left Taiyang. She has to bring the sad news that she was unable to bring Yang back and that his daughter is turning into something she’s not. The image of Yang, red eyed and overcome with rage and hate—such like Adam, burns itself in her mind.

As she walks, her body feels like it is made of lead. Each step she takes is heavy and she can barely stand up straight. The guilt of knowing she played a huge role in Yang’s sudden and dramatic change, the hate she feels towards herself, and the pain of knowing she let her beloved partner down weighs down on her like an ocean of torment.

**You never should have left. You know she will never forgive you.**

Blake sighs. Her thoughts aren’t wrong after all. Shortly after the night Yang told Blake about her past and her birth mother; she revealed something else. Blake remembers being stirred in the dead of night by her partner, who was unable to sleep and clearly had something consuming her mind. In a hush voice, as to not wake the others, Yang told Blake what was bugging her. That she had abandonment issues. That she always fears that she, Weiss, Ruby, or even the rest of her friends will leave her one day for no reason at all. Blake also remembers how close to tears Yang was when she told her, that when Blake left after accidentally saying she was a faunus, that she could not sleep at all. She felt horrible, believing thinking she was a major cause for it, had she done something differently then she never would have bolted. She felt that Blake had no care for her.  

Some tears start to fill her eyes as Blake recalls what she said next. Wrapping her arms around Yang’s body, Blake told Yang she would never leave again without an explanation. She’d completely went back on that promise she swore on.

_You’re a fuckin idiot, Blake._ She thinks to herself as she buries her face in her hands. _You can’t do anything right. You’re letting history repeat itself. You now have let two partners go down the same exact path. If you can’t stop Yang now you know what will happen next. Why must you screw everything up and not be there when the one you love need you the most?!_

Something light embraces her shoulder. Blake snaps her head up. Standing in front of her is Taiyang. By the look on his worn out face she can tell that there is no need to tell him what happened. He already knows the answer Blake has with her.

“I’m so sorry, Tai. I tried but…she would not listen to me.”

“I had a feeling something like this would happen. She wasn’t in a listening mood even before she left. Is she at least…’ _okay’_?”

Blake knows what he means. She gives a slight nod. “Other than her being a raging ball of anger and fire, she looked fine. It didn’t look like she was injured any more than she already is or was starving or anything like that.”

A faint smile appears on the older man’s face. “At least we got that going for us. Before she barely ate anything and stayed in bed most of the day and night. If there is anything we can say that is ‘good’ is that she is mobile and ‘alive’ again.”

Tai inhales a deep breath, looks up, and releases the air in his lungs. The sky above him as started to change color. A dark, navy blue color starts to cover up what’s left of the light blue sky. Small flickers of lights start to appear. Night is falling and fast. Tai looks back his daughter’s partner.

“It’s not safe to stay outside. I am going to take a guess and say you don’t have a place to stay. Come back with me to the hotel in one of the safe-zones at the moment.”

“You don’t have to, Tai. I am more than capable of finding some place to sleep myself. I don’t want to be anymore of burden then I already am.”

“You’re not being a burden, Blake. And to be frank with you, you look like shit. You look like you have not gotten a good night sleep in ages and I’m sure I look no better but trust me, come back with me and be somewhere where you don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder all the time.”

He motions for her to follow. Blake hesitates at first but follows. She is too tired to argue with him. She can, after all, sleep on the floor. It’s not like she hasn’t gotten us to sleeping on something hard as of late.

The pair walk for a little while in silence. By the time they reach a medium size building, only a small fraction of sunlight is left casting its rays on the horizon. The shattered moon of Remnant is starting to rise high above the sky, watching over those who decide to stay out.

Taiyang leads Blake up two flights of stairs and down the end of the hallway to his room. It is not all that big. A twin size bed rest in the middle of the room with a nightstand and a lamp on one side of it. A small, cushioned chair sits up against the wall by the bed. A little farther away is a small, circler table with two chairs. Papers are scattered about the wooden table.

Blake walks up to the table. Mixed in with papers are photos. All of them have Yang somewhere inside the frame. There is one of her as a toddler, looking at what Blake assumes to be Ruby in the arms of a woman who looks much like her leader expect for the fact she is clearly older and has longer hair. Another is of Yang as a small child, baring a smile with two missing front teeth and a yellow cast on her right arm. Blake keeps looking. One photo shows a young teenage Yang showing off a new Ember Celica, and another has her with her acceptance letter to Beacon. All of them have something in common. Love, hope, and joy radiant off of Yang, just like that first night she meant her all those months ago. Such a stark contrast to what she is now.

“I brought some of those to give me hope that Yang will be back to her old self and to show others that Yang isn’t a monster that they think she is because of the finals and I guess what she is doing now.” Tai tells Blake.

_Photos only show the past, not the present. Right now she is becoming a monster and these picture are going to be meaningless. They show a Yang who has ceased to exist…_ Blake thinks. She says nothing about it to Tai. It took the faunus forever to finally gain enough courage to destroy the photos she had of Adam when he was much younger, and less corrupt and dark. They don’t mean anything now, only false hope, and soon Yang’s photos maybe share the same fate.

“I think it’s best if you sleep, Blake. You look like you’re gonna collapse at any moment. Take the bed, I’ll take the chair.” Tai already has started to set up the chair for himself.

“I can take the chair.” Blake starts. Before she can say anything else, Tai puts a hand up, shushing her.

“Blake, don’t. You need the bed more. I really don’t want to argue with an eighteen-year-old, not… right now.” When Blake nods he goes on. “If it makes you feel any better, we can switch back and forth between bed and chair for as long as there are two of us living here. That sound fair enough? 

“…Yes.”

“Good.”

Blake slowly walks over to the bed. When she lays her body down, it feels like she is on a soft cloud. The bed relaxes her tense body.

Taiyang also walks over to the bed. His fatherly insists have kicked in and he pulls the soft covers over Blake’s body, tucking her in. The faunus’ eyes start to close. The covers and Tai himself give her a sense of safety and comfort that she hasn’t felt since the fall of Beacon. Tai reaches over to the nightstand and turns the light off. “Goodnight Blake.”

Blake stays silent. She has already drifted off into her dreams, her body deciding she no longer wants to be a part of the waking world. Hopefully there she can find some hope and happiness.

\---

Days have pass since Yang’s last encounter with her ex-partner. It also has been days since she has gained a new arm. The silver appendage shines in the sunlight as she throws punches around. Raven was right about it hurting like a bitch. Yang cannot recall where her mother brought her, all of that is one huge fuzz. Wherever it was, when Yang woke up back in the house she and Raven have taken shelter in the past few nights, she felt sharp pain on her right side. As the days went by, the pain faded, but it’s still there. Stabbing her like small, invisible needles of fire whenever it pleases.

Another problem Yang has found with her new arm is that she cannot feel anything, at least not yet. Supposedly, according to Raven; eventually she will feel with the arm again but it will take time for the nerves to get use being worked. Taking the arm off—a feature Yang is grateful for that it can do, who knows if she would need to ditch it in an effort to escape—all the time won’t help either. So Yang sucks up the pain and uneasiness of not being able to feel.

Yang throws a punch at a nearby stone wall. Nothing. Over and over again, Yang hits the wall. Once with her left hand to feel the stone scratch up her knuckles, then with her right. No matter what she does, her right side refuses to feel.

As she practices her swings, taking extra thought to know where her right arm lands, she thinks about what she will do now. She now knows the name of the man who injured her. Adam. At least it’s something. A small clue to find him. What she will do if or when she locates the faunus, Yang does not know. Thoughts ranging from simply having another fight with him, to the quick and dark thought of ending him pass by.

Speaking of fighting, Yang thinks about her battle with Blake. It was very much one sided, there was no real way for Yang to win in her former condition. Now the playing field has been leveled. Yang hates losing like that. Losing when it’s. If she loses in a fair and equal fight, Yang is not a sore loser. Just like the fight with Mercury, something was up and just like the fight with Adam, he was waiting for her to angrily lash out. Yang’s blood boils as she thinks about another fight with Blake, whenever that will be.

Gritting her teeth in rage, Yang throws a punch at the wall. The stone caves in on itself, breaking into many pieces large and small, and creating a medium size hole. A small grin grows on Yang’s face. Not only has she just created a hole in the wall, something she could not really do without Ember Celica, who is still missing her twin, she can feel a slight tingling sensation in her metal fingers. Her strength is coming back as well as the feeling of her arm.

A low growl catches Yang’s attention. Turning her head around she sees that a pack of four Beowolves have appeared. Three are normal size while one is large. An Alpha. They must have snuck up on her whilst she had her back turn. The dark creatures look surprised that Yang has taken noticed to their presence. Without warning, the Alpha Beowolf lunges at her.

Yang reacts as fast she can. Digging in her heels, when the Grimm comes closer, Yang throws a punch with her left arm at its muzzle. A fiery bullet explodes in its face and the beast step backwards, stunned. Shaking its head, the Beowolf growls and snarls at Yang. A small growl even escapes Yang as she tightens her fist.

Once again, the Grimm charges. This time Yang uses her right hand to throw an uppercut at the wolf. It jerks up in the air and then is flung backwards when Yang hits it once more with her weapon. It crashes through the wall Yang had used as a punching bag before. The Grimm does not get up. It starts to smoke. Dead.

Yang looks back at the remaining Grimm. All three are whimpering but do not move from their spots. “What are you? Chicken? Not gonna fight me?!?” Yang shouts.

One Beowolf steps forward, attempting to be brave. Yang takes a step forward, fist up, hair aglow, and flecks of fire coming from her. The Grimm moves back, afraid of the blonde girl in front of it. Quickly, the trio turns tail and run off, not wanting to end up like their leader.

“That’s what I thought!” Yang snaps. She looks back at the still dissolving Grimm. Taking on any form of Grimm like this, whether it be an Alpha Beowolf, Ursa Major, or something else of the same sorts, is hard to do by yourself. Especially when you are still are, or _were_ , a huntress in training. Yang revels in the fact she has been able to take down such a large Grimm in a matter of seconds.

_Get ready Adam. I’m coming for you and this time I will be ready. You will not beat me a second time._ Yang starts to think about Blake. _You better get ready, you bitch. If I ever see you again I swear this time I will not be so easily beaten._

“Yang?”

Once again, the teenager is snapped out of her trance. Her mother has appeared. The older woman looks around the area, her red eyes carefully scanning over the broken building. “What happened here? Did you do all this?”

“So what if I did? I wanted to test my strength and I did.” Yang replies. “You’re not going to stop me, are you?”

“No…I’m not. I said you could do whatever you wanted and clearly you are taking that to heart.”

Yang gives her mother a look. While mostly hidden, Yang can see Raven is not one-hundred percent happy and possibly even disappointed. Yang shrugs it off as nothing, as only her mind playing tricks on her. Her mother hasn’t shown much emotion since she joined her. It has to be nothing.

Yang starts to walk away from Raven, shoving her away with her shoulder. Raven reaches out and stops her daughter from going any further. “Wait a minute, you. Just because I’ve said you can do what you like doesn’t mean you don’t have to listen to me.”

“What do you want?”

Raven takes a moment to think. “I just want to know…how you’re holding up.”

“Really, Raven?” Yang raises an eyebrow. “That’s what you stopped me for? If you really want to know,” Yang points to what she has done. “Clearly, I am doing just fine. Is there anything else?”

“I was going to just walk around and do some stuff like always. You are free to join me if you like. Maybe you can figure some stuff out yourself.”

Yang thinks about it for a moment. She can feel the start of her arm pain coming back from throwing it around. The feeling below where metal meets skin has gone away. Maybe it is best to go with her mother, just in case. “Fine.”

\---

Blake’s mind wanders somewhere between reality and dreams. Her vision is nothing but blackness and she feels her body going limp. Yet she can still hear Taiyang shuffling around in the hotel room. Blake cannot fully make out what he is saying but she can tell he is thinking out loud about things he has to do.

As time goes on, the darkness Blake sees starts to take a shape. Like Taiyang’s voice, it is not clear. The shape, now three forms, are a blur of colors. Red, White, and Yellow. Blake knows exactly what they are. Blake believes she is reaching out towards the fuzzy images of her teammates but Ruby’s and Weiss’ disappear, only Yang’s remain. However, no matter how far and hard she reaches for her partner she cannot touch her.

“Yang…Yang please come back.” Blake pleads. “Please…”

A sharp hit on the table brings the faunus back into the world of the living. She makes a small snorting sound as her body snaps off of the table. Looking up, she finds Taiyang looking at her. In one of his hands is a small cup with steam coming from it. On the table, just in front of Blake is another steaming cup.

“I guess you didn’t sleep well last night, huh?” Tai slides out the other seat from under the table and sits down.

“Yeah…” Blake takes a sip of the tea. “Nothing I’m not use too. Chamomile?”

“Yes. Insomnia?”

“Part of it, yes.”

Tai takes a sip of his tea. “Mind if I ask a random question? Didn’t you use to wear a bow?”

“I did. But it got lost when a Grimm nicked me during a fight. It’s how I also got this.” Blake flicks her left cat ear.

“Ouch. Living on your own has been hard, hasn’t it?”

“Again, not that I am not use to it.” Blake notices Tai giving a small look of curiosity. Blake sighs. “It’s a very long story, trust me. Life as a faunus hasn’t always been easy and after the White Fang had a change of heart, if you want to call it that, things did get worse. So much so that my former partner went crazy and…” Blake looks down at the table and stares at the small pool of liquid in her cup. “And he was the one who cut off Yang’s arm. He was pissed at me and took it out on her to harm me. I’m sorry.”

Taiyang remains quiet. He heard Yang talk about a faunus who harmed her. Before he can say anything else, Blake continues to speak.

“Not only did I piss him off, I let him fall down the same dark path the White Fang has gone down. I was worried about him, thinking I should tell him to stop doing what he was doing. Harming others unprovoked, going along with bombings… and robberies, stuff like that. I didn’t stop him because I was young. I was naïve. I thought what we were doing was right because we finally were able to make our point but it felt so wrong.

“Basically, just sum up the last three years of your life in a sigh. That’s how I would describe everything. The White Fang, what happened in the festival, Yang… I just can’t seem to catch a break. And now I’m scared Yang is going to do something she will regret if she ever comes too.”

“Like what?” Taiyang hesitantly asks. He feels like he already knows what Blake will say.

“Hurt someone. Worse yet kill someone, God forbid. Once you do something like that, once you get blood on your hands it will never come out no matter how hard you scrub.” Blake rubs her hands.

“I can only hope it does not come to that.”

“Mind if I ask you a question? Yang told me about her mother, her birth mother. And she went with her, right? Why? What is her mother like and why would she just leave?”

“Raven is… complicated. She always has been, even when we were teenagers. She can be very pessimistic and see the worse in things. She keeps secrets even from her brother, but then something happened. I don’t know what. She didn’t tell me, Qrow, or Summer. The only thing she said was that she had to leave and couldn’t come back. She’s mysterious and no offense, you remind me a bit of her.”

_I see where Yang gets her straightforwardness form._ “Did Raven want to leave Yang?”

“No, Raven is good at not letting anyone know how she feels but the day Yang was born I did see joy in her eyes but they were quickly replaced with sadness, knowing she would leave. The day she did leave I swear as she was walking out the door I could see tears in her eyes.”

“I…I didn’t know that.”

“Yang doesn’t even know it. And why she went with Raven I can’t tell. Raven came to her when Yang was weak, that’s all I can say.”

“Right.” Blake takes the last sip of her tea and stands up. “Speaking of which I should go looking for her. Hopefully I can find her this time around. It’s been days.”

“I’ll search where you can’t, but there is something you should know Blake before you leave.”

Blake stops at the door. “What?”

“I can’t stay much longer in Vale. As much as I want to find Yang, there are other things I have to attend to. Can I trust you that if she is not brought back before I leave you will still try to do so? The only reasons I don’t try and stay longer is because of you being here also. Will you promise me that you’ll do what you can to bring her back?”

“I will.”

With that Blake leaves the hotel room.

\---

Yang silently waits outside an old building her mother had walked into. Raven had told her to stay put and that she will be back soon. What her mother is doing in this dreary and rundown place, Yang has no clue. When she tried to take a peek into the house, Yang could not find Raven. She questioned at first where Raven could have gone but then she remembered her portals. She can be anywhere and just needed the house as an entrance and exit for her to go as she pleased without stirring trouble. Now she just has to wait.

Yang rapidly taps her foot against the pavement. Her mother has been gone for some time now and Yang is growing increasingly annoyed. She hates waiting around. The pain in her arm has subsided and more feeling is starting to come to it. Less thought is needed to move everything around and Yang is itching to try it out again.

Looking around, the blonde maned brawler scans the area for anything that could pass time. give her a chance to punch something, anything to distract her from the demon of boredom. At first, Yang expects a tumbleweed to blow past considering how lifeless the area is but then something catches her attention. Pushing herself off of the wall she rests on, Yang squints her eyes to get a better look. Sure enough, she knows exactly what has just passed by. A White Fang member.

Yang pokes her head back into the building. Raven is still nowhere in sight. _Fuck staying put_. Yang thinks as she starts to follow the lone White Fang member. When she draws close, Yang begins carefully stalking them, waiting in the shadows and doing her best not to make a peep. The faunus looks like they are heading to no particular place. They seem to just be walking about.

Yang wonders if they might know where Adam could be. It’s a long shot but it’s something. She just has to make them listen to her.

When Yang starts moving again she accidentally hits the side of an empty dumpster. Its loud sound echoes through the area, alerting the White Fang member that they are not alone. The faunus turns on their heels and pulls out a gun. “Who’s there?” They nervously shout. Their reptilian tail is upright in fright.

Yang doesn’t move. She wants to wait for the faunus to come closer to her. Already the faunus is tip-toeing their way to the area Yang is in. She is hidden by a small wall and once the faunus is in arms reach she pounces on them, pinning them on a wall and knocking the gun out of their hands.

“What do you want?!?” The faunus asks in a panic. They stick up their hands, showing Yang they mean no harm.

“I’ve got some questions for you and you’re gonna answer them, got it?” Yang snaps.

“Yeah, yeah. I got it! What do you want to know?!?”

“Adam. He’s some bull faunus and I am looking for him. Do you know where he is?”

“Taurus? I—uh—know a bit ‘bout him, yeah. But I can’t tell you where he is. Probably still in the city or school, I don’t know. Honest.”

Yang studies him, trying to figure out if they’re lying are not. She does not let them go. “Is there anything _else_ you know?”

“Besides you calming the hell down before some Grimm sense all your negativity? He’s really high up in the White Fang, one reason why I don’t see him since I’m only just a regular solider, unlike him.” The faunus looks around. “Come on and let me go. I answered what you asked and I really don’t want to be a meal for any hungry Grimm with you around. I saw some lurking about.”

Almost on cue, some Grimm appear. Both Yang and the faunus look at the newcomers. A pair of Ursa. Yang lets the faunus free who scampers off, forgetting their weapon. Yang sighs and roll her eyes. Just want she needs.

Yang gears up for a fight. The Ursa are no problem at all. She finds it easy to defeat the monsters. Yang enjoys the fight. Her arm still tingles and it takes her a moment to notice that a large scratch has appeared on the outside part where everywhere else the metal is still shiny and new. _Shit I need to be a little more careful._

Another Ursa starts to come forward and lunges. Yang is already for the attack but just as it lands in front of her, the Ursa jerks, makes a noise, and collapses just at her feet. _What?_ Yang looks at the fallen beast. Her eyes quickly land on the protruding gun buried in its back.

With a flick of her wrist, Blake brings her weapon back into her hands. “You sure know how to make a scene, don’t you?” The faunus notices Yang’s appendage. She cannot remove her eyes off of it.

“Are you stalking me or something?” Yang asks.

“I told you that I was going to snap you back to your senses and bring you home.”

“And I told _you_ I was not coming back.”

“I’m not about to back down and I know neither will you.” Blake grips her weapon tightly in her hand. She still does not want to fight Yang but if that is the only way to get Yang to listen, so be.

An idea strikes Yang. “If neither of us are going to cave in how about a deal?”

“What type?”

“I’m still sore on how you kicked my ass in our last fight. I hate losing unfairly and that battle was very much in your favor. Now I actually have a much better chance in a fight. Neither of us want to give in to the other so here’s my proposition. We fight again so I can get that fair fight in. If you win, while I will make no promises to be happy or forgive you and make everything hunky-dory again, I’ll come back.”

“Then what if I lose? Should I even ask or do you have something else to add?”

“If I win you leave me alone. You stop trying to bring me back. Unless it directly involves you, piss off and leave me alone to do what I want, not matter what. Sound fair enough, jackass?”

Blake looks at her partner. Yang’s eyes are still a crimson red, burning with even more hate and anger. She has no idea what Yang will do if left alone. Blake can’t lose. Even if Yang doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore, if Blake can at least return the blonde to her father and the rest of her family again at least it will be something.

Blake answers Yang by switching Gambol Shroud into its katana from. Yang smirks and raises up her fist. A moment passes before Yang becomes the first to make a move. She throws a punch at Blake, who quickly blocks the attack. Blake digs in her heels as she is pushed back a few inches from the force of Yang’s blow.

Yang moves back and get ready for another swing at Blake. When her fist connects, Blake disappears. She has hit a copy of the faunus. As fast as she can, Yang spins around. There is not enough time to block a strike from Blake. Yang grunts.

Blake steps back. The only way to defeat Yang is to knock her Aura down but the semblance makes it very tricky to do so. If she gets too close, all these hits to break Yang’s defense will come flying back at her. Patience and quick strikes are her best bet at the moment.

Yang charges again. Punch after punch, Yang attacks. A few land on Blake but the faunus blocks a good number. One hit, however, from the now glowing blonde causes Blake to stumble. Just enough for Yang to take the moment sweep her leg out under Blake and knock her over.

“Shit.” Blake curses when she hits the hard ground. When she looks up she sees Yang hovering over her, thinking of what she should do next. Blake seizes Yang’s moment of hesitation to kick her in the stomach, hard. Yang gasps as air leaves her lungs.

Blake snaps up to her feet. Yang is struggling to recompose herself. Blake strikes at Yang, trying to knock her Aura down as much as she can. Gritting her teeth, Yang blocks one of Blake’s attacks. She can feel her semblance working and power coursing through her veins. Blake jumps away before a fist can land on her. This only angers Yang more. The faunus is quite agile on her feet.

This time around, Yang waits for Blake to come at her first. When Blake strikes, Yang blocks and makes eye contact with Blake. A sinister grin comes on her face. “You’re not going to beat me, ya know. You’re _weak_.”

Blake doesn’t react. She steps back. Yang thinks for a moment. There was nothing said about not taunting and learning from her battles with Neo, it is a good way to win a fight. “You’re weak and pathetic, you couldn’t even protect me. Is that what happened to your partner you talked about? Adam? Did you screw him over too?!?”

This strikes some sort of cord with Blake. The faunus goes after Yang, driven more with emotion rather than thought. Yang lets Blake hit her before continuing. “You’re a fuckin’ cunt. You’re nothing more than a worthless bastard to me. I hate you and everything about you. You’re nothing more than a degenerate and a stray!”

Those words leave Yang’s mouth without even thinking. She is shocked herself, not expecting those words to come out. Blake’s face fills with hurt and anger, rages boils inside of her as she blindly attacks Yang.

Yang uses Blake’s rage against her. She allows for a few hits to land on her before swinging at Blake again. The faunus, not thinking clearly, is unable to block the barrage of attacks. With a final hit, Blake is thrown backwards, her dark purple Aura showing up for a moment, signaling to Yang it has been depleted. Blake roughly lands on the ground, skidding a few feet.

Groaning, Blake staggers back to her feet. On shaky legs she lifts up her weapon with one hand while using the other to clutch her aching left side, her amber eyes met the volcanic rubies of Yang; who, in turn saw Blake’s determination, she’s not giving up.

“You don’t know when to quit, do you?” Yang asks.

“I learned it from you.” Blake gasps out. She feels like she will pass out at any moment and she knows this battle is lost. Still… there is a small shred of hope inside of her that Yang might listen if she stays on her feet.

Yang walks over and simply shoves Blake to the ground. There is nothing Blake can do to defend herself and she falls once more. Blake stays on the ground for a moment before getting to her hands and feet. Weaponless, Gambol Shroud having slip away from her grasp, Blake weakly reaches out for Yang, barely able to grab her leg in a failed attempt to keep fighting. Annoyed, Yang grabs Blake and lifts her up so she can look at her.

“Why are you still fighting? You lost!” Yang growls.

“Because Yang…Because… _I love you._ ”

“What?”

Blake does not realize what she is thinking is being said out loud. ‘ _I love you, Yang’_ is the last thought that crosses her mind before darkness takes over. Her body is tired from the fight and being thrown around like a ragdoll towards the end of the battle. Blake goes completely limp in Yang’s hands.

Yang does not know what to say.  Her heart has become a pounding drum in her chest being beaten repeatly and she starts to shake. She lets go of Blake, who crumbles to the ground, and tries to gather her thoughts.

“You’re lying!” Yang says, not wanting to believe Blake. If she loved her like she said she did, why would she leave like she did. Denial quickly sets in. “You’re just saying that to get to my guard down.”

Of course there is no answer. Yang is like a pick-and-mix bag of sweets, just instead of sugary goodness, it’s just raw emotions. Anger, fear, rage, guilt, and hurt fill her. Just looking at Blake fills her with even more negative emotions. All she wants to do is release all of it.

Before she can even twitch to do so, something grabs the collar of her jacket. Yang is forcibly jerk backwards. For a moment all she sees is a mix of black and red and the feeling of an ice cold wind nipping at any exposed skin before color returns as does warmth.

Yang lands on her back, right by the feet of an angry looking Raven.

“What. Are. You. Doing?” Raven asks through tight teeth.

Yang doesn’t answer. She stands up, still unable to process what Blake has told her. She did even hear what her mother had asked her. Only when Raven grabs her shoulder does Yang become aware of the older woman.

“What?!?” Yang snaps.

“I thought I told you to stay put?!? What the hell where you doing drawing all that attention to yourself?”

“It’s none of your business what I do like it is for me with your business.”

“Yang, I’m your mother and—”

“LIKE HELL YOU ARE!”

The two stare each other down. Raven is at a loss of words. She did not expect Yang to become this hate filled. When she returned back into Vale, she did partly expect Yang to be gone but did not expect Yang to fight Blake again, let alone call her names and nearly releasing all of her hate and anger to the unconscious faunus.

Yang sits down, holding herself as she tries to get rid of self-doubt and Blake’s words. When Raven tries to touch Yang, her daughter jerks back and growls a ‘don’t fuckin touch me’ at her. Raven listens. She momentarily leaves Yang where she is, allowing her to mumble to herself, and close herself off.

“Fuck you… you asshole. You left me just like everyone else. You can’t love me if you would leave me like I was nothing. I don’t want to believe you. I hate you.”

Truth be told, a small fraction of Yang still harbors some feelings for Blake. She pushed them away weeks ago when Raven came and now they trying to come back. Yang pushes them back, not wanting to be hurt any more than she has been. Blake broke her heart and trust, something Yang hates and barely handled. At least, if Blake holds up to this promise unlike all her others she made, she will never have to see her ex-partner’s face ever again.


End file.
